Sunday, August 02, 2015, 1:31 p.m.

Arkansas Queen to shut down

LITTLE ROCK  The local steamboat the Arkansas Queen will no longer provide services to local patrons, according to a letter obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The letter, sent from the office of North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith, said that the riverboat went stagnant as of Jan. 6. The decision was made by the boat's handlers, the Mississippi Riverboat Company, LLC.

The ordeal surrounding the shutdown centers around the city failing to provide a replacement barge after the removal of the Salty Parrot Barge, which, according to the letter, represents a breach of lease between the company and the city.